


Kitty Love

by Endlesswriter03



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AU, Angst, Betty Loves to Save cats, Cats, F/M, Fluff and Humor, Jughead Loves the Camera, Romance, Soulmates, Strangers to Lovers, bughead - Freeform, fateful meetings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-01-12 14:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18448688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Endlesswriter03/pseuds/Endlesswriter03
Summary: She was a kitten rescuer. He was a cat photographer. Could it be a match made in heaven or just another patch of lost fur?Betty always expected the phone to ring with a call with a desperate need to save some newborn kittens. However, she never expected a call like this. This was a call that changed her life forever, but she didn't know it yet.





	1. Prologue

_Meow meow!_

_I mean hello there. My name is Buttons, and I know that it must be weird that I am a cat and I am talking to you. But I have a story that I need to tell because it is one worth being mentioned. Now, I don’t know a whole lot about love, but I think it is a good thing. I mean love gives me soft fluffy couches to sleep on, food in my bowl along with fresh water every day. Love gives me sunny spots on the floor and little mice that I can toss around. And oh! Lots and lots of Catnip. Yeah, my human is good to me or should I say, humans??? Betty likes to pick me up, cradles me and smoothers me with kisses and the other human, Jughead, he loves to take my picture a lot. It gets annoying sometimes. I mean here I am a cat, trying to sleep dreaming of my favorite things and I hear this flash. But he loves my mom, so it is all good. I mean why does he have to kiss her so much? Now my story is not about me in any way it is how my humans met and fell in love with each other I guess you can call me the hero of their love because if it weren’t for me, they never would have met. I am going to call this story Kitty Love. Sit back and have a purr._

  


_Love Buttons._

 

 


	2. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead finds something interesting outside the place he was working and meets Betty who he finds interesting as well.

Kitty Love Chapter 1

 

A little warning that this first scene can be a little triggering for some.

 

Jughead pulled the strap of his camera over his head. He unscrewed the lens placing into the appropriate holes of his case. He had been working all night and was jonesing for a large cup of coffee and his bed. Rubbing his tired eyes, he picked up the last of his equipment and started making his way out of the warehouse waving goodbye to the cleaners before stepping out into the alleyway.

 

Jughead walked over to his sore to the eye pick up truck that had several dents along the bed. He meant to get them fixed, but that required him to have time and money. And he didn’t have any of those. It was work, work, and more work. All-day and every day. Or that was his mindset if he ever wanted to make a name for himself with an agency could use his talent as a photographer. Well, at least an agency that was better than the one he was working with now. Calling him at all hours of the day with jobs that would not lead him anywhere, but it paid his rents and other bills. So there was some good coming out of it. He winced at the loud creaking erupted from his truck door as he opened it. He was counting his days until the damn thing fell off of the henges in a heap of metal or a ticket for disturbing the peace in the early morning. Not even roosters were up at this hours, and they would be telling him to back to bed. He could see the peaks of the rays rising in the east. He moved to get into the driver seat when his cell phone rang. 

 

Jughead rolled his eyes, knowing who would be calling him at the late hour or early hour. “Don’t you ever sleep?” he asked into the phone, wishing away the exhaustion in his voice.

 

“Did you get my shots?” the thin voice of his boss, Toni Topaz wavered through the line. “And no, I don’t sleep. Running the office of an upcoming magazine is built on the hours I put in these carpets every day.”

 

“Of course, I got your shots. I will run through them and edit them before sending to you.”

 

“The clock is ticking my friend. Make sure you meet your deadline, and all will be well,” Toni reminded him.”Please don’t make me regret hiring you.”

 

Jughead was not impressed. “You didn’t hire me. You came to me begging for myself by being your photographer, Topaz. Remember?”

 

Toni sighed. “You know I need to sound like a hardass, or no one will ever take me seriously.”

 

Jughead leaned up against his truck. “No one will take us seriously because your magazines are about cats. Do you want me to repeat that? Cats? Little creatures that have tons of fur, whiskers, and claws. Their only form of communication is meow.”

 

“I am telling you, Jones. This will make billions. People love their cats! Cats are like the best creatures in the world. They have three words that start with C.”

 

Jughead shook his head. “And what are those words exactly?”

 

“Cats. Cuddly. Cute.”

 

He snorted. “I am so convinced. How about you find another word to replace their name and then you will have three words. And we need more treats.”

 

“What? What happened to the ones I gave you for the shoot?”

 

Jughead rolled his eyes. “I had to use them for your charge to cooperate with me. Or it would not have happened. Cats are not the most photogenic creatures. Mr. Poofy ate like two bags.”

 

“Damn.”

 

“That is what you get for picking a fat cat for the cover.”

 

Toni let out a long sigh. “We needed something different and new. Something that was fresh and pops out to capture the eyes of new readers.” Toni continued on with her rant, and he listened for a few minutes until a large crash echoed through the alleyway, causing him to yank the phone away from his ear. His heart was pounding from the unexpected disturbance, and apparently, Toni heard it too because she was screaming into the phone.

 

“Jughead! Are you okay? Answer me! Don’t tell me you were driving while talking to me again!”

 

He studied the area in which the sound came from but couldn’t see anything. Jughead put the phone back to his ear. “Will you calm down? No, I didn’t crash. I am not even in the car.”

 

“Thank Goodness. What was that sound?”

 

“I don’t know,” Jughead replied. “Look, let me go, and I will call you after I get some sleep okay? Your proofs will be delivered by 6 tonight.”

 

“Okay. I will call you if you are late.”

 

Jughead ended the call and looked back to the area. Something told him to check it out, so he walked through the alley trying to see what that sound was. This had him wishing that he had one of those phones with a flashlight.  He could barely see his breath in the chilly air that had him pulling his coat tighter. But he had one in his truck, and he hurried back to grab it from the glovebox. Jughead wondered how long it would be before Buffalo got its first snow of the season. As he continued walking, Jughead began to hear a strange sound. He stopped, looking around trying to pinpoint where it was coming from. He edged closer to the wall near a large dumpster that had an opened lid. There was a mound of trash bags on the side that gave off a rancid smell that was enough to make him gag. He covered his mouth with the sleeve of his jacket as he lifted through the bags only to realize that the sound was coming from inside the large can. 

 

Jughead stumbled out of the mess of bags to the front of the can. He listened to the sound, and it was something familiar that he has heard before but couldn’t name. It like the sounds of crying and whatever it was, was very small. He looked into the can, sweeping it until it landed on a small duffle bag and that was where the sound was coming from. He tried to reach for it but was a few inches off. He shoved the light into his pocket, climbing up on the dumpster being careful not to fall to the ground or into the can. Jughead bit down on his lip he struggled to reach it, and somehow he managed to tangle the material around his finger, and he pulled until he could use the straps. He lifted it out of the can, placing it on the ground. The cries coming from inside were much more urgent, causing him to pull on the zipper, and what he found stopped his heart.  He didn’t need to look up to see what kind of animals they were. He knew just by the little meows that these were kittens.

 

Kittens.

 

Four little baby kittens.

 

Four baby kittens that had been stuffed in a bag to be tossed away like they were garbage. Like they were nothing at all in the deep cold of winter. He looked down at the babies feeling helpless because he didn’t know what to do. He knew that they should be warmed, so he picked up the bag carrying it to his truck where there was heat while he tried to figure out what was his next step.

 

-

 

“Feel that burn! 1...2...3… Exhale. Stretches now! C’mon.”

 

Betty let out a slow breath before extending her left arm in the stretch as her instructor said. And then with the right side.

 

“Now, jumping jacks.”

 

Betty felt the muscles in her legs beginning to burn as she burned off much-needed calories. She didn’t need to work out being as thin as she was, but she liked working out because it cleared her mind for the day ahead.  When the set was finished, she bent down, reaching for the floor and felt something slippery wrap around her legs. She smiled as she spotted Oreo, watching her like she was an idiot. And she probably was. That’s what she loved about cats. They were honest.

 

“One more stretch and I will get your breakfast,’ she promised, scratching Oreo behind her black ears. Betty looked around for her other two cats. Divya was lounging on the cat tree that was in the corner. And Dolly was making her away around the cat highway that she had on her walls. She let out a long breath before getting off the floor, turning her TV off, going into the kitchen. Betty chuckled as she heard the sound of hurried paws following her soon they were crowding her feet as she grabbed what she needed. That encouraged them to start meowing like they had not eaten in weeks.

 

She placed their bowls on the floor and moved out of the way so chow time could happen. She shook her head when Dolly just sniffed her food and walked off, swishing her tail like her sassy self does every morning. “When it's all gone, don’t come crying to me,” she warned Dolly, walking out of the kitchen to let her babies eat in peace and to shower. 

 

Her phone started ringing just as Betty pulled on her robe to go in the bathroom. She groaned hurrying to answer it. God forbid if she missed a call from her mother. It would be like the end of the world for Alice Cooper. She usually called in the early morning to make sure she never slept a minute after 8. Because that would be the world’s biggest sin, right? Anyone successful in life never sleeps in is what her mother thought.

 

“Mom, can we make this quick?” she asked her called.

 

“Mom?” Kevin Keller’s voice greeted her ear. “I have been called many things before, but mom is not one of them.”

 

Betty bopped herself on the head for not checking her caller ID. “Hey, Kevin. Sorry about that. Anyway, let’s move on. What’s up?”

 

“This is actually a kitten call.”

 

Betty’s playful mind switched into serious mode. “What do you have for me?” she asked, sitting down on her bed.

 

“A litter of brand new babies. Can’t be more than a day old. You know the drill.”

 

“Thanks for calling, Kevin. I will be there soon.” 

 

Betty ended the call and jumped into the shower to freshen up. After she was done and dressed, she hurried into her spare room to make sure that everything was set up for when she got back. She grabbed the carrier, her keys, her phone and bolted out the door. She shivered against the icy air as she got into her car.

The drive to the clinic was a short one as it was a couple of blocks away from her apartment. She grabbed the carrier and hurried inside to find the reception area empty except a man that was sitting in a chair in the corner half-asleep.  “Huh,” she said to herself, finding it weird that he was sleeping here and not somewhere more comfortable. Maybe his animal had gotten sick and had to put down. Betty frowned at that idea, but she didn’t have time to wonder about the odd man she needed…

 

“Kevin,” she called out, her soft voice floating through the small office. She winced as she saw the man in the corner sit up suddenly. She didn’t mean to disturb him. “I’m here.”

 

“Back here.”

 

Betty glanced at the guy who was now watching her very curiously before walking around the desk to find Kevin. She turned the corner and walked to the treatment area where she found Kevin standing by a table. She washed her hand before grabbing a pair of gloves. “Where are they?”

 

“Hello to you too,” Kevin said sarcastically before stepping out of the way to the other side to watch.

 

Gloved and ready, Betty parted the flaps of the bag to have her first peek of her new kittens. They were small. Really small. “Oh wow,” she sighed, reaching inside to pick one of them up. The baby gave a small cry as she checked it over. “You’re okay,” Betty told it gently, looking to Kevin. “When were they brought in?”

 

“About an hour ago.”

 

“Okay,” Betty said. “What is the story?”

 

“They were found in an alleyway this morning. The guy in the lobby brought them in.”

 

“I see,” Betty placed the kitten down to pick up another one to check. “Bring him in here. I have some questions for him.”

 

Kevin nodded before darting around the table and out of the room. He quickly returned with the man in question. Betty picked up another kitten to look over. “You found these kittens?” she asked.

 

The man walked around to look in the bag. “I did.”

 

“Where did you find them?”

 

“In a trashcan in that duffle bag.”

“And you didn’t happen to see the mother by any chance?” She asked him. Bett moved on to the last kitten.

 

“Not from what I saw.”

 

Betty turned to him. “Did you look?” she asked sharply. “Because these babies are freshly born.”

 

“How can you tell?” he asked, looking to the small creature in her hand.

 

Betty pointed to the back. “The fur is still sticky with the afterbirth, and they still have their umbilical cords. I would say within the last day.” She put the kitten back down with its siblings. “We need to start cleaning them up and warmed so we can feed them.” She looked to the stranger and blinked. He was a handsome stranger with his dark thick hair covered by a beanie and his steel-blue eyes. “What’s your name?”

 

He pulled his eyes from the kittens. “It’s Jughead Jones.”

 

Betty and Kevin share a look at the name, and Jughead rolled his eyes. “Yes, that is my real name. Blame my sister.”

 

“No judgments from us,” Betty said hastily, busying herself by pulling up a chair and picked up a kitten. “I am Betty, and this is Kevin.” 

 

“Are they going to be okay?”

 

Betty looked down at the kittens. “Only time will tell. They have some strong lungs so they have that going for them and they have me. So, I will do my best.” She started rubbing the baby with a pet-safe wet wipe, and it started bobbing its head and meowing.

 

“Are you hurting it? Jughead asked curiously, and Betty shook her head.

 

“Nope. This is normal. Kittens are very vocal at this age and even more so as they grow,” Betty said, wiping the babies face. “I think they have fleas,” she grumbled, shaking her head again. “Where did you find them again?

 

Jughead pinched his nose. “I came out of the warehouse, and I was on the phone with my boss. I heard this really loud sound or crash. I went to see what it was and started hearing their little meows. I followed the sound until I figured out that it was coming from inside a dumpster. Found the bag and now I am here.”

 

“Poor babies,” Betty said, sadly looking at her new fosters. “And you are sure that you didn’t see the mother? I know I already asked, but I like to be sure. Babies this young should not be away from their mother. And there were no more kittens left behind?”

“I honestly didn’t look. When I saw what was inside the bag, my first thought was to get them out of the cold.”

 

“That’s fine. We will go back and look when we are done here,” Betty said, reaching inside her carrier pulling out a rounded disc object. She placed it under a blanket and set the newly cleaned baby on it. 

 

“What are you doing?” 

 

Betty looked up to see Jughead looking at her like she was crazy. “This is a heating pad to keep them warm,” she explained, moving to a new kitten. “We have to keep them warm at all times. It is essential that we do. Kittens this young can’t regulate their own body temps so we have to do it for them and we have to warm them up so we can feed them.”

 

“You sound like you know what you are doing,” Jughead said, impressed at her level of kitten knowledge.

 

Betty shrugged her shoulders. “I kind of do,” she said, moving to the next kitten and the next until all kittens were huddled together on the blanket. Her heart broke for them.  She folded the blanket over them, tucking it tightly to give them some added warmth while she walked around, gathering the things she needed. 

 

“Are you a veterinarian that specializes in kittens?” Jughead asked. She could feel his eyes on her everywhere she went. “Let me help you,” he said, rushing over to her catching something that fell from her arms.

 

“No,” Betty said, placing the stuff on to the table. “Thanks,” she smiled, taking the object from him.

 

“Then how do you know what to do? Shouldn’t you wait for a professional?”

 

“I am a professional,” Betty said, opening a plastic bag, measuring out a white powder into a large bowl and added some water. “Or I wouldn’t be here.” Betty turned to Kevin. “I am going to try and feed them before I leave to go search that area. After I am done, I will come back and take them home.”

 

“That is fine,” Kevin said and noticed Jughead staring at Betty like she was something that he had never seen before. “And everything she just told you is true. Betty is kind of the city’s go-to person for baby kittens. We have people that will take kittens until they are old enough to be adopted, but very few will take them this young. Betty even has a nice bit of followers on her Instagram account.”

 

“Kevin,” Betty piped up from the mixture she was stirring. “I am sure that Jughead is not interested in my life so please spare him the details.” Betty went back to what she was doing, and when she was confident that liquid was a smooth as it could be, she got a syringe with a nipple on it and filled it up. She couldn’t believe that Kevin would go around spilling things about her to a person she didn’t know. Betty forced herself to focus on what she was doing as she picked up one of the kittens. The room was filled with small meows as she positioned the baby on its stomach and took control of her head.

 

“Are you sure that you know what you are doing?”

 

Betty slowly turned to Jughead. “How about you just sit there and watch?” she asked, smartly with a smile. 

 

\--

 

Jughead crossed his arms as he leaned back as she worked on getting the tip into the kitten’s mouth. It was amazing to watch. Jughead never knew that this existed or that people like her existed. It took some time, but soon Betty was satisfied with how much she was able to get into the tiny cat and moved to the next and so on. When they last kitten was fed, cleaned, and placed in her little bag that she called a carrier, Betty stood up and looked at him.

 

Jughead felt his mouth dry up like a desert in the summer. Her eyes were hazel that had a hint of blue and green in them that complimented her blonde ponytail, her pale complexion. Betty was a beautiful woman with a beautiful soul. Suddenly her mouth started moving, and he couldn’t understand a word she was saying. 

 

“Jughead?”

 

He blinked at the sound of his name, and he realized that he had been staring. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” he asked, forcing his eyes away from her pink lips that looked so inviting.

 

Betty smirked at him, and Jughead gulped. She knew what he was doing. She knew! Oh crap! Now, what does he do? Should he act cool? Could he act cool? Let’s find out. He told himself.

 

“I wasn’t saying anything. I was asking a question.”

 

“Oh.” Jughead wanted to punch his inner self. All he could say was, oh? Surely, he could have come up with something better than ‘Oh.’ “What was the question then?” Wow, he thought, I was able to find words to speak properly.

 

Betty rolled her eyes. “Will you take me to the alley where you found them?” she repeated the question.

 

“Um, sure,” Jughead nodded numbly. No wonder he could never keep a girl. He would always spaz out in front of them or forget how to speak. That is why he would still loose girls to his friend Archie. He had a much better game with the women unlike he was. “We can go now if you like?”

 

“That sounds wonderful,” Betty nodded, turning to Kevin who had been watching the whole exchange between them “I will be back to pick them up shortly. I hope it won’t take me long.”

 

“They will be fine for now. You might want to hurry. It is supposed to snow later,’ Kevin said, picking up the little carrier.

 

Betty turned to Jughead. “Let’s go,” she demanded before turning on her heel to walk to the front of the building. Jughead followed her out to the parking lot, and she pointed to his truck.

 

“Let’s take your truck.”

 

Jughead raised an eyebrow. “How do you know it's my truck? It could be some other person that parked it there.”

 

Betty didn’t seem impressed with his answer. “I know it’s your truck because I have never seen it here before just like you.”

 

Jughead looked at his poor truck. “Are you sure you want to take it?” he asked her, and she nodded.

 

Betty turned around and shrugged her shoulders. “What can I say? I am a sucker for trucks.” Betty smiled at him, walking over to the passenger door.  Jughead knew then and there in a parking lot outside of an animal clinic in the cold air of December that he was going to marry this girl.


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kittens, kittens and more kittens. Plus snow being a problem for Jughead and Betty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone reading this story. I hope you enjoy it. Some of the stuff in here for the kitten care was from a lot and a lot of research.

_Chapter Two_

 

Betty was out of the truck before he could slip the truck into park and pull the keys out of the ignition. He shivered as the air was even colder and the morning sun was traded in for a thick blanket of dark gray clouds. They didn’t say much during the drive over, and Jughead wondered if it was because he had made a fool of himself back at the clinic. Jughead made his way over to her, and Betty’s eyes were going several miles a minute, scanning every inch. He also noticed that she had pulled her sleeve over her hands that had him reaching into his pockets.

“Here,” Jughead said, offering her his pair of gloves. Betty turned to him and looked at his hands, surprised by his offer. She searched his eyes, looking anything any suspicious behind his actions.

“Are you sure?” Betty asked unsurely. “What about your hands?”

“Just take them,” Jughead said, placing them into her hands. “Don’t worry about me. I have another pair in my pocket.”

“You aren’t lying to me, are you?” Betty asked, slipping her hands into the gloves.

“No."

She narrowed her eyes at him. “I sure hope not. I will smack you if I find out that you are,” she warned him.

Jughead smirked at her. “Really? Is that a promise? I like kinky girls.”

Betty rolled her eyes at his statement. “Ha, Ha! Now show me where you found the kittens,” she waved her hands at the alley.

“And bossy, too,” Jughead shook her head. “Here, I thought we were going to have a smooth relationship. I don’t take well to orders.”

Betty scoffed at him. “We don’t have a relationship at all. And if you don’t show me in the next five seconds, I will walk back to the shelter so I can go home.”

Jughead let out a deep breath. “It’s this way,” he pointed, walking deeper into the alley. Betty followed closely behind him.

Betty started to make clicking noises with her tongue. “Come on out, mama,” she sang in a kitty voice. “We have your babies.” She squatted in a few places to look underneath things. “It’s okay. We don’t want to hurt you.”

“What are we looking for?”

Betty got down on her hands and knees, looking under another dumpster. “We are searching for a mama cat or any if any kittens got left behind. You said you heard a sound this morning?”

“I did, but I don’t know where it came from,” Jughead said, extending a hand to help her up. “Where I found them is just down there.”

Betty took his hand and hurried over to the dumpster. “Yuck,” she breathed, waving her hand in front of her nose as she climbed up. “You found them in here?”

“Yeah.”

Betty frowned looking inside. “Poor babies,” she muttered, throwing her leg over the side to climb in. She sifted through every little piece of trash until she hit the bottom of the can. Betty wiped her face before climbing out until she was standing next to him.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Jughead asked her.

Betty nodded. “It gave me the answers that I needed. There is nothing but garbage in that thing. I don’t see any sign of a cat being around, and it looks like that we have all the kittens.,” she said sadly. “Coming here just confirmed my fears.”

“Those would be?”

Betty turned to him. “That someone took those kittens away from their mother and tossed into the trash,” she said them.

Jughead shivered, and it wasn’t from the cold. “People do that?” he asked, shocked that someone could be so vile.

Betty shook her head in disgust. “You be surprised what humans do to animals. That noise you heard last night was probably the person throwing them away. It was a good thing that you were here, or those babies would have never been found. Those poor things. What a way to be welcomed in this world.”

“What would they do that?”

Betty shrugged her shoulders. “I have no idea. I often wonder what goes through people's minds when they are cruel to animals. I mean, why are they cruel to animals? What do they have to gain from it? They probably came home to find their cat with a bunch of kittens and wanted to get rid of them. They get mad at the cat when it is the owner's job to make sure that their animals are spayed and neutered.”

As they got back into the truck to go back to the clinic, large snowflakes began to fall. Jughead cringed at the sight of them knowing the roads would soon turn into slushy messes. He was hoping he could get home before it started to snow, but that was wishful thinking. “I wish that I could move to a place where it didn’t snow.”

Betty chuckled. “Good luck on finding a place. Because anywhere around here is fair game.”

When they arrived at the clinic, Jughead got out of this car and walked around to meet Betty. “So I was thinking…”

“Uh oh,” Betty looked at him skeptically. “This can’t be good.”

“You don’t know me well enough to know that,” Jughead pointed out to her. “This is a good thing. I want to adopt one of the kittens.”

Betty’s eyebrows rose up. “Those kittens are nowhere near ready to find homes,” she told him. “They still have a lot of growing up to do.”

“When will they be ready?”

“In about eight weeks,” Betty replied. “You also need to fill out an application to see if you are approved.”

“Approved? What is this a job interview?” Jughead asked her. “It’s just a cat.”

Betty shook her head. “It is not just a cat, Jughead. A pet is much more serious than a job interview. Taking in a pet is a lifelong commitment. Anyone who adopts a kitten through me must be approved.”

“Why?”

“It is just how I do things. If you are willing to go through with the application process, it shows that you were willing to make an effort. I will not hand my cats over to just anyone. I want to know that they will be taken care of and loved from the moment they go home to their last breaths. I also run background checks to make sure that there isn’t any history of animal cruelty.”

“You take this very seriously, don’t you?” Jughead asked her.

“Someone has to, Jughead. Anyway, I don’t have an application with me so you will have come to my house and get one,” Betty said, walking over to the door. “Let me go get the cats, and we can be on our way.”

Jughead looked up at the mean angry sky. “Are you sure? I can come by and pick up one another day,” he offered.

Betty turned just before the door. “You might want to get your application in today. My kittens go fast, and we are going into the holiday season. They will go even faster. Also, if you are serious, you will come with me.”

Jughead sighed. “I don’t know. I usually ask a girl out to dinner before we go back to her place,” he added, earning himself a glare from the blonde before she entered the building. Jughead smiled to himself as he followed her inside, knowing that there was a grin just underneath the surface of that glare.

-

Betty opened the door to her apartment, stepping aside to allow Jughead to enter. She watched him walk over to the window where she could see the snow falling heavily. “I can’t believe how fast the weather went downhill,” she said, setting her carrier on the counter and giggled as Jughead turned around to find himself being surrounded by her three felines staring at him suspiciously.

“Hi there,” Jughead waved at them as one of the cats began weaving around his ankles.

“That one is Divya,” Betty said, walking around the counter. “She loves anyone capable of giving her a lap to lay on.” She pointed to the almost identical calico sitting a few inches away. “That is her sister Dolly. It takes her a while to warm up to strangers. And this handsome boy is Oreo,” Betty reached down to give the Siamese a scratch behind his ears.

“Yes, I have three cats,” Betty defended herself when she looked up to see him smiling at her. “Cats are better than people.” She looked outside where the snow was even heavier than a few moments ago. “Follow me to my office, and I will get you that application.”

Betty picked up the carrier leading him down the hall where her three bedrooms were located. She walked into a large room, placing the kitten carrier down on a changing table. She turned to see Jughead looking around. “This is my kitten room,” she explained.

“You have a kitten room?”

“I do,” Betty nodded. “This is where all of my magic happens. They will live here until they are adopted out.”

Jughead moved around, looking at different things. “What is this thing?” he asked, pointing to a large box.

Betty went over to him. “It’s an incubator. This where the kittens go for the next two weeks and then they will go in here,” she walked over to the pin that she has set up. “I need to clean it, but I have time to so unless I get another call for kittens.”

“Does that happen often?”

“Sometimes,” Betty replied, looking around the room. “During the spring and the summer, I can have up to 5 to 8 kittens at a time. I have fostered a lot of kittens.”

  
“Do you love it?”

Betty nodded. “I do. I mean, I get to spend my time with cute adorable kittens and watch them grow up. I watch them go from helpless little kittens to cats full of personality who will light up a person’s life. Nothing is more rewarding than knowing that I helped these kittens from facing certain death.”

Betty walked out of the room only to return a few seconds later with a piece of paper in her hand. “Here you go,” she said, holding it out for him.

Jughead looked over it. “BettyPaws?” he raised his eyebrows at the name. “What is a BettyPaws?”

“BettyPaws is the name of my organization,” Betty explained. “We are a group of people who foster kittens in the Buffalo area. I also offer training to people who are new to fostering to make sure that they have the right resources for the jobs. When I started, there was hardly anything available, and because of this, many kittens lost their lives. And that is just not acceptable.”

Jughead was staring at her, and she could see something float around in his eyes. Something she couldn’t name. “What?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Jughead shook his head. “I am just so impressed by what you are doing. It’s amazing. How did you get involved in this?

Betty moved the carrier of kittens over to the incubator. “I saved my first cat when I was 15,” she started, pressing buttons until they were at the right settings. “I was trying to fix my mom’s car. For some reason, the car would not run, and I was trying to figure out what the problem was. My dad was out of town so he wouldn’t be able to look at until he got back, so I took a look. One of the hoses appeared to be clogged. I got the hose off and looked inside to see the brown ball. I thought it was a rat until I held her in my hand. It wasn’t a rat. It was a kitten about the size of these guys.”

Betty opened a drawer to pull out a notebook and a pen. “I took the kitten into my mom, and after I put the car back together, we rushed it to our animal clinic. When we got there, they told us that there wasn’t much that they could do for a kitten this small. My mom wouldn’t accept it so we brought the kitten home and looked up on the internet on what we could do. We raised that kitten ourselves.”

“And that is when you knew?”

“No,” Betty pulled a small scale from the shelf above her head, calibrating it. “I didn’t know it was something I wanted to do until I moved here. I saw an ad in the paper asking for fosters, and I called right away. The first kitten I brought home, I will never forget him. It was a learning step for me and taught me that I had to learn more if I wanted to this right. I fell in love with that cat. It turned into a foster fail.”

Jughead frowned. “Foster fail? Did the cat die?” he asked,  
“Nope,” Betty shook her head. “A foster fail is when you take in an animal into foster and end up adopting them yourself. You met him earlier. His name is Oreo.”

“Ohhh,” Jughead smiled, looking back at the door. “Where is the other cat that you saved when you were a teenager?”

Betty smiled. “That cat stays with my parents keeping my bed warm for me when I go home for Christmas. We named her Caramel. Because her fur is a nice rich brown that reminds us of the candy.”

Betty reached inside stroking one of the kittens, smiling as it’s little head perked up at the touch. “Hi,” she said softly, picking it up and placing it onto the scale.

“What are you doing?” Jughead asked her.

“I am weighing them,” she explained, writing down the number. “I always weigh them to make sure that they are growing. I weigh them several times throughout the day. Mainly before and after every time, I feed them. Every time I feed them, they should gain a couple of ounces, and if they aren’t gaining any, I will figure out why and try to fix the problem.” She pointed to the number. “See here, it says 89 grams, and I will write this down.”

“How do you tell them apart?”

Betty shivered, feeling his breath on her ear and cleared her throat. “I will write down their names and description,” she answered, turning her hand over. “These kittens are tuxedo kittens because they are black and white. And we have a little girl. So I will write that down along with a white ring around her nose. And I do that with each kitten.”

Betty quickly made a batch of kitten formula. “I want to try and feed them again. I wasn’t happy with the attempt back at the clinic, and it can take a few tries to get them to understand what is going on. Except for this time, I am adding something a little extra to this because I am worried that they may be dehydrated, which is something I would like to avoid. I also added a supplement to help their stomachs absorb the nutrients to help try and fight off any illnesses. Since they didn’t get to drink from their mother, I will have to watch the kittens a little more closely because they can catch all kinds of bugs or viruses.”

“Have you ever lost a kitten before?”

Betty nodded. “I have, and it’s hard. But it is also apart of what I do. There will be kittens that I can’t save. But then I remember that I have babies who rely on me, so that helps me through my losses. Lunchtime, Cookie,” she sang to the kitten, placing her on her belly.

“Cookie?”

“I have been thinking of names for them. Since we are going into December, I figured maybe a Christmas theme,” she told him. “Since you were the one who found them, do you want to help me name them?”

Jughead nodded excitedly. “Yeah, let me think.”

Betty chuckled as she put the nipple into Cookie’s mouth. “Good latch girl,” she praised her watching her suckle away. “Do you want to try?” she asked him.

Jughead’s eyes widened. “I don’t know if I can. What if I hurt her?”

“All you have to remember is to go slow,” Betty assured him. “They don’t have a gag reflex, so we have to go at their speed.”

Jughead shook his head. “I will just watch you,” he answered nervously.

Betty shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe next time,” she said, placing the syringe into the mixture and used a wipe to clean Cookie around her mouth. When she was finished, Cookie went back into the incubator, and she got the next baby.

Betty placed the kitten on to the scale. “91 ounces,” she read out loud and wrote down the numbers. “And this one is another girl, and she has white on the tips of her ears. What do you think for a name?”

“The white on her ears reminds me of little marshmallows, so how about Cocoa?” Jughead suggested.

Betty looked at the kitten in her hands. “That is a nice name for a little kitten. What do you think?” she asked in a playful voice and the kitten let out a meow. “I think we have an approval. Welcome to the world Cocoa!” Betty pressed a small kiss to Cocoa’s tiny head, offering the syringe. This feeding was a little harder than the last, so she fed Cocoa one drop at a time and when she was done, she cleaned Cocoa up and placed her back with her siblings and moved to the next kitten.

Betty looked over the kitten. “This one is a little boy,” she said to Jughead. “The tips of his paws are white, so I think we will go with Mittens.”

“Mittens?” Jughead asked her. “I don’t think he is a Mittens. What about Dasher? Like one of Santa’s reindeer?”

“Hmm,” Betty pursed her lips together. “I that one much better. So, Dasher, it is,” she agreed, placing him on the scale and wrote down the number again and moved on to feed him. “That was fast, my little one. Just like a dash of time! Good job, Dasher! And now we move on to the final kitten.”

“Another boy and he weighs 84 ounces,” Betty said. “The weight is a little low for my taste, so I will probably make some special formula to help get his weight up. I also believe this guy is the runt of the litter. The runts usually run a little small, but they are always my favorite. He is such a beautiful kitten. What do you think we should name him?”

Jughead pointed to his black and white belly. “They look like buttons of a coat,” he said. “So how about Buttons?”

Betty smiled brightly. “I couldn’t agree more. So we have two girls and two boys,” she said to the kitten. “Buttons, I can’t wait to watch all of you grow up!” It turned out that Buttons was an excellent eater who guzzled down a good bit of formula. Betty cleaned him up real good and put him back with the others.

“Now that they are all fed,” Betty said, closing the door to the incubator. “I am just going to let them take a nice little nap and check on them again in about two hours.”

“That was awesome,” Jughead praised as they walked out to the living room. “Nor did it take a lot of time.”

“It really doesn’t,” Betty agreed. “It only takes a few minutes to feed them. Those few minutes are life-saving moments that could help them live for up to twenty years. By knowing what I can do with those minutes, how could I give them my time?”

“You are an amazing person, Betty Cooper,” Jughead smiled at her and held up the paper. “I will get this filled out and bring it by in a few days. How does that sound?”

  
“It sounds good,” Betty trailed off as she walked over to the window to check the weather and all she could see was white. Everywhere. The streets buried in the snow, the roofs of nearby buildings had rising towers of snow, and she couldn’t even see the bridge due to the thick falling snow.

Betty pulled her phone out to check her weather app, and her eyes widened as she read through several weather warning messages. “Except, I don’t think you are going anywhere,” she said to him as he reached for the doorknob.

Jughead turned around. “How come?” he asked her. “Don’t want our date to end so soon?”

Betty rolled her eyes as she crossed the room, holding her phone out. “We are not on a date, and they just placed a travel ban on to the city of Buffalo until the weather clears.”

“Please tell me you are kidding,” Jughead grumbled taking her phone from her and read the warnings out loud. “Attention citizen of Buffalo. Due to extreme weather conditions, city officials have placed a travel ban on the city until noon tomorrow. This is because of whiteout conditions happening around the city, and after many reported accidents, we want to keep the roads clear for emergency crew members only. If anyone is caught out on the roads will face a fine up to 500 dollars, and their vehicles will be impounded. So please, I ask everyone to stay at home for your safety and everyone else of our great city. Keep checking back for important weather updates.”

“They are telling the truth,” Betty said, taking back her phone. “I can’t see anything from my window. Maybe you should stay here for the night.”

Jughead shook his head. “I can’t stay. I have things that I need to get done for my job. I should be fine.”

“No,” Betty stated firmly. “Please stay here. I am sure your boss will understand. You can’t do anything if you are in a ditch somewhere freezing your ass off after you hit a patch of black ice.”

Jughead rubbed his face. “I don’t want to put you out or be in your way.”

Betty let out a frustrated sigh. “You will not be in my way. You will be here safe and out of harm’s way and not in the tin can you call a truck.”

Jughead scowled at her. “I thought you said you like trucks,” he pointed out, crossing his arms.

“I do like trucks. Trucks that don’t remind me of a can that is about to go through a can opener,” Betty tossed at him. “That thing needs serious work done. And with the tires as bald as they are, you might as well take it down to the skating rink.”

Jughead let out a distressed sigh. “I can’t stay, Betty. I have a deadline to meet.”

She narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired man standing in her foyer. “Didn’t you say earlier on the way to the alley that all the stuff in the front seat is for your job?”

Jughead nodded. “Yeah, but-”

“No, buts,” Betty shook her head. “I will give you my password to the internet, and you can do your work here. You are welcomed to use anything in the house. There is plenty of food around the house, so help yourself.”

“What if I wanted to take a shower?” Jughead pressed. “I have been digging around in a dumpster and probably could use one.”

“I told you that you are welcome to anything in the house and that includes my bathrooms,” Betty waved him to follow him. “You can sleep in this bedroom, and it comes with its own bathroom. There are towels in the closet and some shampoo and soap. I like to keep someone hand for when Kevin spends the night.”

Jughead blinked at this new bit of information. “Kevin spends the night here?” he asked, sounding surprised. “I didn’t know that you guys were together.”

Betty stared at Jughead, trying to decide if he was serious or not. The almost saddened look on Jughead’s face made her break down into laughter. “You think me and Kevin are seeing each other?” she giggled. “Really?”

After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, Betty fought back a few random giggles still lingering. “Kevin isn’t really my type,” she began slowly. “Let’s just put it this way. You have a better chance with him than I do.”

“Me?” Jughead asked, sounding confused. “Why would he be interested in me ...Ohhh,” he trailed off as the lightbulb went on inside his head.

“Yeah,” Betty nodded. “Sometimes, Kevin will stay with me if I have an overload of kittens to give me a break or to help me care for them. Anyway, we are getting off-topic, you are staying here end of discussion.”

“Don’t I get a choice in that matter?”

“Nope,” Betty clarified. “Not even a little bit. Like you said, I am bossy, and I will get what I want.”

“We’ll see,” Jughead smirked at her. “I will have to go down to my truck to get my stuff. I will be just a few minutes.” He walked back into the living room, and Betty followed him to the door.

“I will help you with that,” Betty offered, and Jughead raised an eyebrow at her.

“Why?”

“So I can make sure that you don’t get in your truck and drive off,” Betty replied simply. “You don’t look like the type that follows orders very well.”

“Guilty. Don’t you trust me?”

“Nope,” Betty popped the ‘p’ with her lips. “Let's go get your stuff. You have work to do, don’t you?”

“You don’t have to follow me out into the cold,” Jughead told her. “I will get my stuff, and I will be right back since you are just dying to spend time with me.”

“I am only worried about your safety,” Betty said defensively. “Do you want me to start timing you? Because I will.” She held up her wrist with her watch on it. Jughead shook his head as he walked out the door.

Betty walked into the kitchen to start up a pot of coffee. She was pouring water in the reservoir when she heard the door open and shut. She turned the coffee maker on and wiped her hands burning around to see Jughead bending over placing his things by the couch. And it was a very nice view. Taking advantage of the quiet moment, Betty allowed herself to sweep her eyes along the length of his body. He had pulled his jacket off so she could see the muscles of his back through his dark shirt as he searched his bag. His jeans welded nicely around his backside and it that made her want to lick her lips. If there was a contest on the best ass for a man, he could have the trophy because it was one of the best pieces of ass that she had seen in a long time. Betty felt the urge to walk over to him for a small squeeze to see if it was as firm as it looked. But that would be weird, right? Or would he like it? Suddenly, Betty felt like a deer in headlights when he turned around. Betty felt her face burn as if she was standing next to a fire as she watched his lips stretch into a smirk. She had been caught. He knew that she had been checking him out.

“Do you like what you see?” he asked her, settling down on her couch with his computer on his lap.

Jughead had been flirting with her ever since the clinic. Or she thought he had been or had she been hoping for it? Betty shrugged her shoulders. “Maybe.” She could feel her entire body shaking. She had never been this daring in her life. Sure, she has dated in the past, but they never went anywhere. They never went anywhere far. They either cheated or fizzled out after so many dates. So why was this guy different? She hadn’t even known him a day, and he already was knocking down her walls. If any other guy had said those lines to her in the past, she would have probably ignored them or tell them to go to hell. Maybe even punched them. Betty felt safe with him, and she didn’t even know one thing about him.

Jughead slowly raised his eyes to her as he pulled his laptop open. “Good,” he said, before beginning to type away on his computer.

Betty cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say. “Would you like some coffee?” she asked him, turning around to grab a couple of mugs out of the cabinet.

“Coffee would be great,” Jughead said, walking into the kitchen and she handed him a mug of steaming hot coffee. “Smells so good,” he hummed.

Betty smiled as she watched Jughead closed his eyes, savoring the pleasant smell coming out of his cup. He was, indeed a handsome guy. “I have milk or creamer in the fridge if you want it.”

“Nope. Don’t need,” Jughead said, taking his first sip of coffee. “Black coffee is the way to go for me. Thanks.” He lifted the cup to her. “I am gonna get to work before my boss chops my head off.”

“Can’t have that,” Betty laughed and turned around to do the dishes that had been piling up over the last few days. If her mother had been here, Alice Cooper would have a cow if she saw her sink. After the final dish was placed into the dishwasher, Betty could hear soft snoring coming from her couch. She walked over to see that Jughead had fallen asleep. His computer was about to fall to the floor. Betty got a blanket out of the closet and gently removed the laptop, placing it onto the coffee table and laid the blanket over his sleeping form. She chuckled when Divya jumped up into his lap only to curl up into a ball.

“Silly girl,” she whispered to her cat. “At least you will keep him warm.”

Betty walked into her hallway to check her heat to make sure that it was comfortable and not cold. She pulled her cell phone from her back pocket, going into her room to make the call. She needed to talk to her friend about the fluttering in her chest as Betty looked back to the house guest that had taken up her couch. When she was through, Betty decided that she would go back into the kitchen to begin broth for chicken noodle soup for dinner. What else would be more comforting on a cold wintery day? It was nice that she didn’t have to have dinner alone for once who wasn’t her four-legged friends who never talked back to her. Suddenly, Betty found herself wishing that the day would never end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so much fun to write.  
> More is coming your way. This rating may be raised depending on how the future chapters go.  
> Follow me on tumblr @ endlesswriter03. Sometimes I will post sneak peeks of the chapters that I am writing.   
> See you next time!


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